Five_Pillars_of_Islam

Five Pillars of Islam The birth of the prophet Muhammad was very important to the central beliefs of Islam. He was considered a model of the teachings in the Qur’an. The people of Islam faith look to the life stories of Muhammad for answers. They believe that there is no other God, but that Muhammad is the messenger of God. The five pillars are a combination of the practices that Muhammad, Sunnis and Shi’a share. These five pillars are what Muslim people live by. They feel it is important to follow them because they believe they are commandments from God. The first pillar of Islam is referred to as The Shahadah; it includes believing and professing the unity of God and the messesgership of Muhammad. This pillar outlines how important it is for Muslim people to spread the word of Islam so that other have all of the information and can make an accurate decision. I believe that this pillar would be somewhat of a challenge to fulfill because there are a lot of people who are not willing to listen. The second pillar includes a round of prayers that occur five times a day. This pillar requires Muslim people to perform certain ablutions. They are supposed to face Mecca and recite prayers and passages from the Qur’an. They are also required to bow and kneel. This pillar is also a way to help bring other Muslim people around the world together. This is also a time for men and women to prey separately in order to avoid any distractions. The reason the pillar requires them to do this five times a day is to strengthen their belief in God’s existence. I believe that this would be a very challenging to get used to. On the other hand if this is how a person is raised then it just becomes a part of life. The third pillar is called Zakat, or spiritual tithing and almsgiving. This pillar requires all Muslims to donate a minimum of two and a half percent of their income to needy Muslims. They do this in order to help prevent inequalities as well as to prevent greed. I believe that this pillar would be easy to fulfill. I think that there would be a lot less greed in the world if more people would live by this rule. The fourth pillar is fasting. Even though some Muslims fast frequently, the fast that is obligatory for them is the one during Ramadan. This fast requires them to sustain from food, drink, sex, and smoking from the time the sun comes up until sunset. Some of the reasons for this pillar are because it helps Muslims understand each other better. It helps the wealthy understand what it is like for the poor who often have very little to eat. I think this would be one of the most challenging pillars of all. A person would have to have a lot of self control and discipline in order to this. The fifth pillar is called hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca. This pillar requires Muslim to make a pilgrimage at least once in their life. There are several ways to make a pilgrimage. One of the ways is to go to the field of Arafat, where Muslims believe Adam and Eve were taught humans were only created for one purpose, and that was to worship God. Here they are to pray from noon until the sun goes down, by doing this they believe that they will be forgiven for ever being separated from God. The pilgrimage may also include other rituals that may include sacrificing an animal or throwing stones at the devil. I believe that this pillar would be something that would be easy for a person of this faith to fulfill. I think that their faith is what would get them through completing one of the different pilgrimages.